Maximum Snow:The Life and Times of Max and Friends
by VicFirthThe1st
Summary: Maximum Ride is a human that loves snowboarding. When she gets invited to participate in the Winter X Games, will she choose new adventures or old friends? FAX!
1. Chapter 1: Hamburger Steak and Balloons

I looked down at the white snow, about twenty feet below me, and thought about my next run down. As I looked over the course from the ski-lift, which I was on, I saw the person that had the run before me down on the ground, with a couple people crowding around him. Once I was off of the ski-lift, I was down to where they were in a couple seconds. I looked at the guy and gasped, just as they were loading him into a chopper. That guy was my best friend, Mark.

The next day I went to the hospital to visit Mark. I knocked on the door before coming in. He grinned when he saw the balloons I was carrying for him.

"Hey. What's up with the balloons?" he joked. I grinned.

"I think you know. What happened yesterday?" I asked, suddenly realizing I was very curious.

"Tried that trick that you said I couldn't pull. I landed wrong on my snowboard, and one of the bindings snapped, and I broke my leg." he said, and it looked like it pained him to talk about it.

"You tried the double cork 1080??" I was surprised. I didn't think he would try that trick, even if he knew he could do it.

"Yeah. I under-rotated, and I couldn't see the ground. So, I made it into a single cork 720, and landed heel edge badly." he said. He had broken his leg really bad, and he had cut his hand on a chunk of ice.

"Ouch. Well, I gotta go. I'll come check on you from time to time, ok?" I said. He nodded, and I waved as I closed the door. I sighed and went to my car. Once I got home, I went into the kitchen where my mom was fixing dinner. She turned around when she heard me come in, and she smiled. I smiled a little bit back, and she frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Mark broke his leg trying the double cork 1080." I said. She gasped. I'm glad I have a mom who likes snowboarding as much as I do, because I don't like to explain what different tricks look like. I nodded.

"How'd he do that?" she said sounding worried.

"He under-rotated, and tried to turn it into a single cork 720, and he landed too much on his heel edge, and his left binding snapped." She gasped again, then put her hand over her heart.

"Yeah, I know. But the doctors said it wasn't a very big break, so he'll be boarding again by next month." She breathed a sigh of relief, and went back to cooking.

"What are we eating?" I asked, because it smelled really good.

"Hamburger steak, because I know it's your favorite." I smiled. She was right. My name's Maximum Ride, but you can call me Max. My favorite past-time by far, is freestyle snowboarding. Which was a good hobby, considering I lived in northern Colorado, where it snows pretty much every day. I've been snowboarding for about seven years, and the first time I went down the big hill behind my house, I was definitely hooked. My best friends, Mark and Kent, were also big snowboarding fanatics who had been snowboarding for about as long as I had. It was definitely my dream to win the Winter X Games snowboard slope style for girls. My mom had always said that if I set my mind to something, I would always get it done with time to spare, no matter what it was. I hadn't believed her the first few times, but then I realized it was true. This is my story.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting Iggy

I woke up the next morning at about 12:30, which is normal for me. So, I got up, got dressed, and went down to start breakfast. My mom left for work really early, so I didn't think much of it when I didn't find her. I tried cooking an omelet, and ended up wasting three eggs. I forgot to tell you I really suck at cooking. I bet a blind guy could cook better than me. Anyway, after eating, like, seven chocolate chip Pop-tarts, I threw on my snowboarding gear, and got into my car. There was a slope about three miles from my house, so it took me about six minutes to get there. I got out, and went into the lodge. The lodge was pretty much an old medieval-castle-turned-ski-lodge, so you stored your boards in the old bell tower, if you were a member of the lodge. I walked up the winding stairs to the bell tower, when I heard somebody playing the old piano in the bell tower. Once I got to the top of the stairs, I saw a guy, about my age, playing a beautiful piece on the piano. I'd never heard it before, so I guessed it was original. He suddenly whipped his head around, and I ducked into the shadows.

"Who's there?" he called out in a slightly menacing voice. I stepped out of the shadows. He didn't say anything, and I saw he was looking about three feet to the left of me. 'Maybe he still doesn't see me.' I thought. So, I stepped out until I was about six feet in front of him. He was looking at me now, but he still hadn't said anything. I was beginning to get worried.

"Hello?" I said, waving my hand in front of his face. He didn't blink.

"Who are you?" the guy asked.

"I'm Max. Max Ride. Who are you?" I asked, still waving my hand in front of his face. He still didn't respond to it.

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Iggy Griffith." he said. He sounded friendly. So, why hadn't he blinked or something when I waved my hand in front of his face?

"Nice to meet you, Iggy." I said with a smile. "Where'd you learn to play the piano that well?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Just, taught myself I guess." he said. He suddenly got a small grin on his face.

"You said my piano playing was good, right?" He asked. I nodded. He didn't say anything. I nodded again. Nothing. I finally had to say the word 'yes' before he responded. 'Maybe there really _is_ something wrong with him.' I thought to myself. He then spoke.

"You wanna know what'll make me sound even better at piano?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, truly not knowing.

"I'm blind." he said. Then, he grinned again. I was dumbfounded. I don't get dumfounded easily, you know.


	3. Chapter 3: High School Never Ends

Disclaimer: I don't own any Max Ride characters. I do own a computer. Yay.

I stared at him in awe until he spoke again.

"Well, we better get going, we don't wanna keep your friend waiting, now do we?" Iggy asked with a smile. I laughed and tossed him his board so we could get going. I realized what I had done after I had thrown it. Iggy was blind. He can't catch it. It'll hit him. I'm an idiot.

Right when the board reached him, he reached out his arm and caught it perfectly between the bindings. I was now in awe, _again_.

He smirked, as if he could see the surprise on my face, and nodded over toward the stairs. Then, he got up and started down the stairs. What made me jealous, was that he didn't stumble or anything coming down the stairs, while I looked like I just learned how to use my legs yesterday. It was embarrassing.

When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw Kent in one of the comfy lobby armchairs. He spotted me and rushed over in half a second.

"Where have you been?!? And who's this guy?" Kent asked/yelled.

"We've been in the bell tower, and this is Iggy." I said and gestured at Iggy. Iggy smiled and put out his hand. Kent shook it, and looked at Iggy's eyes.

"Dude, are you blind?" Kent asked. How did he figure it out before me?

"Yeah." Iggy said, almost sounding proud of it.

"Cool. Wait, if you're blind, how are you gonna snowboard?" Kent asked, and he was right. It hadn't occurred to me that if Iggy was blind he wouldn't be able to see where he was going.

"I live in this lodge. I know this mountain like a fat cop knows doughnuts." said Iggy. I chuckled to myself, and looked down at my watch. 6:39.

"Oh man! Guys we gotta get going! Last session end in twenty-one minutes!" I yelled. Kent looked at his watch then at me, then where Iggy had been standing. I looked around and saw Iggy hurrying in the direction of the ski-lift.

Kent and I hopped on in the car behind Iggy, and began the ascent up the mountain. The snow was sparkling different colors in the setting sun. As we approached the drop-off point, I heard a lodge employee over the loud-speaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the mountain will be closing in six minutes. You have time for one more run, then you'll need to be heading out. Thank you for skiing and/or snowboarding here." the man said. I was ready. Before I jumped off of the ski-lift, I set my iPod to my favorite song to board to, which is More Than A Feeling by Boston. I jumped off the ski-lift onto my board, and began my ride down the mountain. I approached a jump, and just did a simple 360 to warm up. I landed, and I headed for the biggest jump on the course. I took a deep breath before I took off, and I attempted a cork 720.

The reason I say attempted, was that I fell really bad on that trick. I landed on my back, which knocked all of my breath out of me, and I know I felt and heard a rib crack. My vision was hazy when I opened my eyes, and all I saw before passing out, were trees, snow, _red_ snow I might add, and medical staff running toward me. That's when I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room. I could tell by the antiseptic smell. I never really liked that smell. Call me quirky. I jumped at a knock on the door then said "It's open." I gasped at who I saw.

It was Mark! He was on crutches and carrying balloons with a grin on his face. I gave him a mocking grin, then sat up in bed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, taking the balloons.

"The doctors said my break had healed pretty well, but I can't board for a month." he frowned when he said that.

"Well, it looks like I'm not gonna be boarding for a while either." I said, and I gestured at the bandages on my leg and ribs. He grinned slightly then frowned again.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I just remembered we have to go to school Monday. Crap." he said. I sighed. School wasn't very good for a chick like me. I was one of the people that has a bad reputation. It wasn't that bad though, cuz' I had every class with Kent and Mark, so it might not be as bad as last year. I hoped it wouldn't be, at least. The next Monday, I was out of the hospital, but I didn't want to go to school.

My mom made me go anyway, so when I pulled up to the school, I got out and prepared for my 11th grade school-year. Great.


	4. Chapter 4: Too Preppy for your own good

I walked into the school, wondering where Mark and Kent were. They were brothers, so they got there at the same time every day, and they were always late. I received a class schedule from my homeroom teacher, and I saw I had honors biology first. When the bell rang to go to first period, I was one of the first people to the class. I didn't want to make a bad impression on the first day of class, right? Exactly.

I was sitting beside a guy who looked bored out of his mind, and on the other side was a red-headed girl who looked too preppy for her own good. (No offense to any preppy or overly-preppy girls out there.)

I took another look at the guy beside me. He wasn't bad looking. In fact, he was pretty cute. He had dark eyes, dark hair that hung over his eyes, and he was wearing a black t-shirt.

I was about to speak to him when the teacher started talking in the front of the room.

"Okay! Welcome to honors biology." she said, sounding preppy. Darn.

"Today, we'll be doing an introducing exercise, where you come up to the front of the room and tell us your name and something about you."

Crap. I didn't like talking to people I didn't know as a close friend. But whatever, I need to do this for a good impression. The teacher started with a guy named Ben. He went up to the front of the class.

"Hi. My name's Ben, and I'm a drummer in a band." he said while looking at the floor. That's pretty cool. Then the guy next to me got called up. He sighed and went up.

"My name's Fang. I like to snowboard." he said quickly. Cool, I might have some more in common than I thought with this Fang guy. The teacher called up pretty much everyone else in the class before she got to me.

"Hi. My name's Max, and I like to snowboard." I said, and I sat down.

The bell rang to go to study hall, which I had second period. I went to the library, and was reading a James Patterson book, when Iggy came over to me.

"What's up?" he asked as he sat down.

"Not much, what's up with you?" I asked. He shrugged, and a brown haired, dark-skinned girl came over to him. I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Hi Iggy. Who's this?" she said.

"Hi. I'm Max. Nice to meet you." I held out my hand, and she shook it.

"I'm Nudge. Nice to meet you too." she said. 'So far so good with the "first impressions" stuff' I thought to myself. Iggy stood up.

"I got to go. See you gals later." he said. I looked as he walked over to that guy from biology. What was his name? Not Ben, um…oh yeah! Fang. He and Fang walked out of the library, leaving me and Nudge to get to know each other. I looked over to her. She was twirling her hair on her finger and staring into space. I waved my hand in front of her face. She shook her head and looked over to me.

"Ha. Sorry. Spaced out for a bit." she said.

"What were you thinking about?" I asked.

"Iggy. I really like him, but I don't think he knows it. It sucks!" she said and frowned.

"He'll figure it out eventually. Boys aren't _that_ stupid." I said, in the hopes of cheering her up. She smiled and laughed a little. The bell rang, and we both hurried off to gym. That day most of the classes passed quickly, and I approached Fang after last bell had rung.

"Hey." I said to him. He glanced at me and nodded. He had one earphone in, and it was turned up just enough to where I could hear More than a Feeling by Boston. I did have a lot in common with this guy! Sweet!

"Are you listening to Boston?" I asked, thrilled that we had a lot in common. He nodded and spoke.

"You're the girl that sits beside me in biology, right? Max, is it?" he said. I nodded.

"Yeah. Did you say you like to snowboard?" He nodded.

"Do you wanna go sometime? I can't today, because I fell and broke a rib, but some other time?" I asked. He pondered it for a second, then nodded. I smiled.

"Great! I'll tell you when I can, ok?" He nodded and I walked away. This year wasn't going half as bad as I thought it would go.


	5. Chapter 5: He said

That night, I was in my room on the internet, when I heard my mom call up to me.

"Max? There's some boys here to see you. Their name's are Fang and Iggy. They have a girl named Nudge with them too." she said. I shut down my laptop, and went downstairs. Fang was sitting on the couch with a black Journey t-shirt on, and he was watching the skiers half-pipe on last year's Winter x Games. I had recorded it.

Iggy and Nudge were talking and laughing, when Fang pointed to me. They turned and stood up. Iggy walked over to me.

"Nudge and I are going to see a movie, but she _insisted_ that you come along, but I didn't think you had a boyfriend. That's where Fang comes in." I froze, and Fang turned towards us at the mention of his name.

"Do you and Fang wanna go out with Fang?" Nudge asked. I looked over at Fang, who shrugged, which meant it was my choice. I really did, but I didn't know if Fang did or not. I walked over to where Fang was sitting.

"Do you want to go to the movies? With me, I mean? Iggy said we should, but I wanted to see if it was cool with you before I decided. So…is it?" I asked. He pondered it for a second, and then he said-

Iggy's POV

Max had gone over to talk to Fang, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Do you think Fang will say yes?" I asked Nudge. Nudge shrugged.

"I think so. It seems like they have a connection on certain levels." she said. I nodded. It was crazy. Nudge had just come up to me after school and told me she liked me and asked me out. I didn't know she liked me, and I didn't think she did, because I had liked her for a long time. But she was one of the 'popular people' and I was the equivalent to the captain of the chess team.

I looked over to where Fang and Max were talking and I heard someone chuckle. It was Fang. Then I heard Max come back over.

"So? What did he say?" I asked her. She hesitated then spoke.

"He said-"

Nudge's POV

Max and Fang were talking about whether they should go out, when Iggy spoke to me in a hushed tone.

"Do you think Fang will say yes?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I think so. It seems like they have a connection on certain levels." I said. That was the deepest thing I had ever said in my life, and it wasn't that deep. Iggy nodded. I still couldn't believe I told Iggy I liked him after school today, and asked him out, and he had felt the same way about me. I looked over to where Max and Fang were talking, and I heard Fang chuckle. Then Max walked back over, looking tense.

"So? What did he say?" Iggy asked. Max had a nervous look on her face, and then she spoke.

"He said-"

Fang's POV

Max came over to ask me if I wanted to go out with her or not. I mean, she was cute and all, but I didn't know her that well. So I had shrugged, telling her it was her decision, but she had asked me if I wanted to anyway.

I pondered it in my head for a second before answering. There was another girl that had asked me out, but she wasn't as pretty as Max. Plus, Max and I had a whole lot in common, and I didn't have anything in common with the other girl.

Finally, I came to a decision. I wasn't sure how Max would take it, but it was worth a shot. I looked at her then spoke.

"My answer is-"

Max's POV

As soon as I heard his answer, I got up and walked over to Iggy and Nudge, who were talking very quietly. I had tensed dramatically when I heard his answer, and I was still tense. Iggy and Nudge looked up when they heard me coming. Iggy spoke.

"So? What did he say?" he asked. I hesitated for a second, wondering whether or not I should tell them. Finally, I gathered enough courage to tell them.

"He said…yes." I said.


	6. Chapter 6: Happy Dance

**Hey guys! I am having really bad writers block on my other fanfic. I'll update it as soon as I can get a good actiony chapter written for ya. Peace!**

Nudge's mouth dropped, and Iggy just stared.

"Seriously?" Iggy was looking at me as if I just said 'I am not a girl. I am not a boy. I am a martian.'

"Yeahp." I said, slightly embarrassed, because Fang was now standing behind me. Iggy must've heard him, because he then looked up at Fang.

"Seriously?" Now Iggy was looking at Fang as if he said 'I am not a boy. I am not a-' well you get it. I looked at Fang and he nodded. Nudge's look of disbelief slowly curled into a huge grin. I rolled my eyes.

"You guys are dating! That's so cute!" Nudge squealed, and it hurt my ears. I looked up at Fang who was smiling, one of the only real smiles I had seen out of him. I looked back at Nudge who was bouncing with excitement.

"Are we going to the movies or not?" Iggy asked, and Nudge stopped bouncing, but continued to grin.

"Yeah." I said.

"We better get going then! The movie starts in twenty minutes!" Iggy said, and I nodded and went into the kitchen to tell my mom we were leaving. But when I got to the kitchen, my mom was on the phone. So, I made a motion with my hands that said 'We're leaving' and she nodded.

I went back into the living room, where Fang, Iggy, and Nudge were. I made my way towards the door and motioned for them to follow. They nodded, and Nudge led Iggy to the door. I walked outside and looked around. 'Crap! I forgot the car keys.' I thought.

"Hey guys! I forgot my car keys. I'm going to get them, alright?" Fang shook his head and motioned to the alley behind my house. In it, was parked two Lamborghinis. My jaw dropped. I don't know why, but it's been doing that a lot lately.

"Who's cars are these?" I asked, still staring in admiration. Fang smirked and Iggy grinned.

"The black one is Fang's, and the red one is mine, but I can't drive, so Nudge will drive me." Iggy said. I nodded, then felt confused.

"Wait, is Fang driving me?" I asked. Fang nodded, and smirked again.

"Oh, okay. Just wondering." With that being said, I got into the car, and let me tell you, it was _nice_! It had satellite radio, heated seats, scissor doors, a bunch of Boston and other old rock band cd's, and in the trunk, a custom-made snowboard rack. That is cool if you ask me. Fang must've seen me staring and grinned.

"Nice,huh?" he said. I nodded, and I pointed to where Iggy's car was parked, it was just starting to drive away, when Fang started the car. I turned on the radio, and heard this punk rock song I didn't know. I looked over at Fang, who was mouthing the words to the song. I looked at him in shock/amusement. He looked at me and stopped mouthing.

"No you can keep going. It was fine." I said. He shook his head no. I rolled my eyes and pretended to shove him. I saw and evil glint in his eye when I shoved him, and I immediately wished I hadn't. The next sharp turn we came to, he slammed the brakes and turned the steering wheel as far as it would go in that direction.

We did a doughnut, then got back onto the road. He looked over at me and grinned. I was holding onto the armrest so tightly, my knuckles were white, and I was resisting the urge to scream. He started laughing, and I turned up the radio. He turned into the movie theatre parking lot, and stepped out. He went to the other side and opened my door for me.

"Thank you, Mr. Gentleman." I said sarcastically. He smiled, and we met up with Iggy and Nudge, who had already payed and were inside. Once we had gotten our snacks, we went into the theatre. It wasn't dark yet, so it was still the previews. Fang nodded to a row that only had two seats in it, and we sat down. Iggy and Nudge sat two rows in front of us. The movie we were seeing, was Dawn of the Dead 2: Little House of Horrors. (A/N: I made up that movie title. I wish they made it though.)

Then the lights dimmed, and the movie came on. About halfway through the movie, I looked over to Fang, who was looking at me. When I turned around, he quickly turned away from me, looking at his feet with sudden interest. I chuckled to myself and looked back at the movie.

Some guy with a shotgun was about to open up a closet door, and when he did I jumped and hid my face in Fang's shoulder. He smiled, I could tell. I didn't jump because I was scared, I used the jump as an excuse to get Fang to put his arm around me. I'm sure he knew that, and he didn't mind doing it a bit. It felt nice to love- I mean enjoy- a person that lov- _enjoys_- you back. I smiled at the thought of it.

"Hey, I know what you're thinking." I heard Fang whisper in my ear. I froze. 'He can't read minds, can he?' I thought to myself. No, that's crazy nobody can read minds. Just then, I looked up at the screen and saw the main guy and main girl kissing. I looked up at Fang, who was looking down at me. I suddenly felt myself leaning in, and he was too.

The second our lips touched, it was like a thousand bottle rockets of joy went off in my brain and heart. When we pulled away, I saw Nudge looking back at us. She grinned and whispered something in Iggy's ear. He turned around to face us, and he grinned as well. I blushed, and Iggy and Fang bumped fists. I rolled my eyes. 'Boys will be boys.' I thought.

Once the movie was over, Fang drove me home. I got out, and he walked me to the door. I smiled at him and he grinned. One more time, I felt myself leaning in, and we kissed. This one was different, though. It had more…meaning behind it. When we broke apart, I looked into his obsidian eyes, and it was like I could see into his soul, and he could see into mine.

I shook myself out of his trance, and began to unlock the door. I waved one more time as he got into his car, and he waved back. When I got in the house, I shut the door behind me, and breathed a sigh of content. He was definitely the most perfect being on the planet. I would have to thank Iggy and Nudge for setting me up later. But right now, I needed a shower. I smelled like Fang! Then again…no I better wash 'his smell' off me.

After I got out of the shower, I got into some basketball shorts and a tank top, and got in the bed. I fell asleep almost instantly, and had Fang-filled dreams.


	7. Chapter 7: Two Bad Words and Ice Cream

The next day in biology, the teacher was ranting away at the front of the room, and Fang and I were talking quietly.

Suddenly the red-head that sat beside me tapped me on the shoulder.

"Is he your boyfriend?" she asked, eyeing him. I nodded and she frowned slightly.

"Oh. Well, you're lucky. He's hot." she said, and with that she turned back towards the teacher.

I looked over at Fang. She was right. He noticed me looking at him, and smirked. He unzipped his book bag and took out his iPod. He put both headphones in his ears, and started drawing in his notebook.

I took one of his headphones out and put it in my ear.

'It's stupid contagious to be broke and famous. Will someone please save us from Punk Rock 101?' I shook my head and put the headphone back in Fang's ear. He smirked and mouthed "Did you like it?" I mock grinned at him, and started drawing in my notebook. I drew a bunch of stuff. Snowboard company logos, snowboards, random squiggles, Fang's name in little hearts- wait disregard that last one. That didn't happen.

The bell rang, and we went to study hall. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, and I sat at a small table in the back corner of the library, so we could talk without being disturbed.

"So? Have you and Fang kissed again since last night?" Nudge asked, smiling. I rolled my eyes, while Fang smirked.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" I said. That's me, Ms. Cool, Calm, Collected. Nudge's mouth dropped, and she laughed.

"Awww! You two are so cute together!" Nudge squealed. I swear I need to see a doctor to check my ears after every conversation I have with Nudge. I resisted the urge to slap upside the head, instead I just turned on my iPod. I turned it to Jessica by the Allman Brothers, and looked over at Iggy. He was doing homework.

"How does a blind kid do homework?" I asked, Iggy didn't look up when he responded.

"Takes skills. You know it." he said, and I saw a grin. I chuckled and the bell rang. I got up, gave Fang a hug, and hurried out of the library. That afternoon, Ig, Nudge, Fangy, and I had all met at a local ice cream joint. Fang and I were talking and laughing when that redhead, Lissa, came in. She looked over to where Fang and I were, and waved and started over toward us. 'Oh no. What if she starts talking to Fang and he likes her better than me?' I thought to myself. I have kinda a low self-esteem.

"Hey Fang! Is she your girlfriend?" she asked Fang. He nodded and she started pouting.

"I thought I was your girlfriend." she said, and she stuck her bottom lip out. It tested my will power to not burst out laughing. He looked surprised.

"Do I know you?" he said casually. It tested my will power ten times more not to laugh at that. Her mouth dropped, and she began to say something, but then she narrowed her eyes at me.

"You come with me." she said, and she grabbed my arm. She pulled me over to where we were out of earshot of Fang and the others.

"What's up?" I asked, pretending to not know what was up.

"You know what's up. You stole my Fang you whore." she said, and with that, I punched her in the face as hard as I could. While she was on the ground clutching her face, I bent over her and smirked.

"He wasn't yours to begin with, and you're the one dressed like a slut, mmkay?" I said, and walked back to the table. That honestly was the best feeling I've had in a while. Fang was chuckling, Iggy was applauding, and Nudge was staring in shock.

"You go girl." said Iggy and we slapped hi-fives. Nudge was still staring in disbelief.

"What'd she say that made you do that?" she asked. I smirked.

"She said I stole Fang, and she called me a whore." I laughed. Iggy stared for a minute, and he started laughing so hard he fell backwards out of his seat. Nudge was laughing too, and even Fang was grinning. I laughed along with them, and we left soon after that. I was looking forward to the weekend. I would be able to snowboard for the first time in two months. And with Fang, too. I was ecstatic.

The next day at school, Lissa had a black eye, and every time Fang passed her in the hallway, he pointed to his eye. It was pretty funny actually. That day at lunch, the principal climbed up onto an empty table, and whistled for our attention.

"Listen up everybody! I'm going to announce this year's HomeComing queen and king nominees." I looked over at my friends like 'I wonder who's gonna get nominated.'. They shrugged, except for Iggy who couldn't see the look.

"Okay the first couple nominee, Kim Rodriguez and Joseph Dixon. Next we have, Maggie Lorifice and Joel Carranza, and last but not least, we have Maximum Ride and Nick Lee." I went up and received my crown, but didn't know who this "Nick Lee" was, and right as I turned to face the room, Fang walked up and got a crown.

"You're Nick Lee?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. He nodded and smirked at my expression.

"Expecting someone else?" he said, and I shook my head no. The principal told us to step down, and we did and went back to our table. The rest of the day was uneventful. When last bell rang, I sighed in relief. Finally the weekend. My first snowboarding trip with Fang. I was so excited when I walked out that afternoon. I breathed in the fresh air, and wondered if Fang was better than me at snowboarding. Probably not, but still. It's a thought.


	8. Chapter 8: Lifelong Dream

I woke up early the next morning, because I was meeting Iggy, Fang, Nudge, and Kent to go snowboarding. I got into my board stuff, and drove to the lodge. We I went in and went up to the bell tower, I heard the piano, and I heard…an electric guitar? I snuck around in the shadows until I could see who it was.

Iggy was playing the piano, of course, and Fang was playing the guitar. I stepped out of the shadows.

"Well well. I didn't know you played guitar Fangy." I said. Iggy jumped, and Fang just stopped playing. He looked over and rolled his eyes, then he looked at his watch.

"Are Nudge and Kent here yet?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Let's go see." I said. Iggy got up and headed for the stairs, but stopped at the edge.

"They're talking about you, Max." Iggy said. How did he know?

"Well, what are they saying?" I asked. He cupped his hand around his ear.

"1) you're ugly. 2) you're stupid. 3)-" I noticed that as he was saying these, he was counting on his fingers. I shoved him and he grinned.

"Okay, so maybe you're not _that_ stupid…" he said, and I rolled my eyes at him. Fang was laughing silently to himself, and I gave him a stern look. He stopped laughing, and started down the stairs. I smiled, proud of myself, and started down after him. When we got down to the lobby, I looked around and saw Kent and Nudge talking on a couch. They looked up and saw us, and hurried over.

"Hey guys! Ready to go boarding? I can't wait! I have a new trick I'm going to do! I call it 'The Nudge Flip'. It's so cool! It's like and inverted 360 with a tweaked out method thrown in there!" Nudge said, barely taking a breath. It amazed me when she did this. It also slightly annoyed me. Go figure.

"Okay guys. We better get going. First session starts in five minutes, and we're breaking for lunch after third session." I said. Fang and Iggy nodded, Nudge smiled, and Kent saluted me. We all grabbed our boards from the bell tower, and started toward the ski-lift. I sat with Fang on the ride up, and we talked about anything there was to talk about.

When we came to the drop-off point, I set my iPod to More than a Feeling, and knuckle-touched Fang. He went off to the bigger jumps first, and I went to the rhythm section to warm up. I did a couple 360 variations before I headed to the big jumps. I saw Fang do a cork 720 off the big jump, and he landed it flawlessly. I did a 1260, and landed with a bit of a hand drag. It wasn't the cleanest, but it was one of my better one's. I then headed for the big jump, and set up for a signature trick; Spins to the Max. Get it? You don't? Never mind then.

Anyway, it was basically a double backflip 1080, and I landed it perfectly. At the end of my run, Fang was clapping, and Nudge and Kent were staring wide-eyed.

"And I thought my trick looked cool…" said Nudge. I grinned and turned to Fang who was talking to a guy that looked like a businessy snowboarder. Is that possible?

Fang finished talking to the guy, shook his hand, and came over to us.

"Who was that guy?" I asked.

"That was an athlete scout for the Winter X Games, and they invited you and I to participate in men and women's slope style." Fang said calmly, and then he grinned the biggest grin I had ever seen him grin. I gasped and put my hand over my mouth, as did Nudge.

"W-w-WHAT?!?!" I asked/shouted. He grinned even bigger and Kent looked like he was about to faint.

"Yep, it's true. You and I are going to the X Games." Fang said, and he held out his arms. I gave him a really big hug, and I wasn't sure that I didn't crush one of his lungs. I looked at Nudge, Iggy, and Kent. They gave me a group hug as well.

"That's great, Max! Can we come watch?" Nudge asked. I turned to Fang.

"Can they?" I asked hopefully. He got a sad look.

"Nope…THEY GET TO BE SPECIAL GUEST JUDGES ON THE SLOPESTYLE EVENTS!!" Fang said, filled to the brim with excitement.

That's when Nudge and Kent passed out, and Iggy's jaw dropped.

"Don't play with me man. Are you serious?" Iggy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I wouldn't kid about something like that." Fang said.

That was when Iggy fainted. Took him long enough. We woke them up by stuffing snow down their shirts and jackets. Nudge woke up first, then Iggy, then Kent.

They were gasping from the cold, and they went inside to warm up.

"Dang. I can't believe it! That's awesome!!!" squealed Nudge. The best thing about going to the X Games, was the fact that we got to miss school for three whole weeks! One was for arrival and registration, one was for practice, and the last was for the real thing.

"So when is it?" I asked Fang. He looked at the card the guy had given him.

"Registration: December 24- December 31. Practice: January 1- January 8. Competition: January 10- January 17." he said. I still couldn't believe it. This was my lifelong dream, and now I had a chance to fulfill it! Alright!


	9. Chapter 9: Tie

The next Wednesday at school, the principal climbed up onto the stage in the auditorium. He was going to announce the two remaining couples for homecoming king and queen.

"Listen up! We are down to the final two in the homecoming king and queen competition." he said. He looked down at a sheet of paper.

"Ok. The first remaining couple, is Maggie Lorifice and Joel Carranza." he said, and they walked up and stood looking out at the crowd.

"The other couple, is…Max Ride, and Nick Lee." he said, and I almost spit my soda out onto Fang. We walked up, and turned to face the crowd.

"The voting for homecoming king and queen will begin after lunch today. The candidates cannot vote, and cannot influence others' decision. Dismissed." he said, and we stepped off the stage and out of the auditorium.

"I can't believe we're in the running for homecoming king and queen!" I said as Fang shut his locker. He nodded, and we started on our way toward gym. We were playing dodge ball, girls against boys. 'Oh great.' I thought. 'Fang will get me out!' I shook my head, and focused on getting a ball. When the teacher blew the whistle, I ran as fast as I could, so I could get a ball and have a little chance of getting somebody out.

I threw it as hard as I could at some guy I didn't know, and I hit him in the face. He dropped the ball and went to the sideline.

Soon, all that were left were me, Fang, Nudge, and Iggy, and I have no earthly idea how Iggy had stayed in at all, much less this long!

I grabbed two balls, and tossed one to Nudge. She caught it and ran to the half-court line and threw it as hard as she could at Fang. He didn't see it coming, and it hit him in the foot. He dropped his ball, and went to the sidelines.

It hardly seemed fair. Two girls, against one blind guy. But, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. I ran to the line, and put all the power I had into this throw. To my surprise, Iggy caught it. At our school, that doesn't get you out, but it gets one of your teammates back in. Iggy called Fang back in.

Iggy and Nudge were soon out, because Iggy had missed a catch, and Fang had hit Nudge. So, now, it was boys against girls. I looked over at Fang. He had one eyebrow raised, and he put his iPod headphones in. He threw it as hard as he could at the same time I did, and both balls hit each other in the face.

His throw was so hard, it knocked me out. The last thing I remember seeing was Fang fall to the ground with a bloody nose.

When I woke up, Nudge was hovering over me. I sat up and looked around. I was in the nurse's office, and Fang was on another cot next to me. He was talking quietly to Iggy, who was nodding and talking equally as quiet.

"What happened?" I asked Nudge. She looked worried.

"Well…you and Fang hit each other in the face with dodge balls. He gave you a busted lip and a concussion, and you gave him a broken nose." Nudge said. I looked over at Fang. She was right, his shirt was blood stained, and he had tape on his nose. I suddenly felt guilty.

"Who won the dodge ball game?" I asked. Nudge smiled slightly.

"Teach called a tie. You also got dodge ball banned. Thanks for that." she said, but I knew she was kidding. I just hoped Fang wasn't as mad at me as I was.


	10. Chapter 10: ROFLOL

**Sorry for not updating in a while! The file for this chappie was lost in my computer, but I found it! READ AND REVIEW! AND READ AND REVIEW MY OTHER FANFICS TOO! THANX!!**

I walked up to Fang after school that day. I really needed to know if he was mad at me for, you know, breaking his nose.

"Hey. Are you mad at me?" I asked him. He shook his head no and smiled when I sighed of relief.

We were walking down the road that led to my house, along with Nudge and Iggy. Iggy and Nudge were talking quietly, and Fang and I were thinking about the Winter X Games.

"Do you think we'll be as good as the pros that are there?" I asked Fang and he shrugged.

"You're lucky though. All you have to worry about is Jenny Jones." he said. "I have to worry about Shaun White!" Fang said, and he was right. He had his work cut out for him.

"Well, when you come in last, I'll comfort you." I said, and he mock grinned at me. I chuckled. When we got to my house, I gave Fang a hug, waved at Nudge and Iggy, and went inside. I suddenly remembered something. I hadn't told my mom the news yet! I ran into the kitchen to find her feeding our goldfish.

"Hey Max! How was school today?" mom asked.

"Good. Guess what?" I asked, and I'm sure she could tell I was really excited about it.

"You got invited to participate in the Winter X Games." she joked and laughed.

"Yes!" I said, and her laughter stopped abruptly.

"Really? How did this happen?" she asked, and I'm not sure if she believed me or not.

"When I went snowboarding with my friends last weekend, there was a scout from Winter X there, and Fang and I got invited to participate." I said, and mom nodded.

"Well, when is it?" she asked. I tried to remember the date Fang had told me, and I suddenly remembered.

"December 24 through January 17." I said, and my mom nodded.

"Well, I'm really happy for you sweety!" mom said, and I smiled and hugged her. Then, I went up to my room and went on the internet to see how the pros prepared for competition.

The next day, I went up to Fang, and gave him a quick peck on the lips and started smiling. The girls that were crowding around him scowled and left. He smirked.

"What was that for?" he asked, still smirking. I rolled my eyes.

"To get rid of your fan club." I said, and he grinned.

"You're just jealous." he said, and I mocked him. He chuckled. Then, the bell rang. We both groaned. We had biology first. The teacher hated both of us, because earlier this year, we had filled the trunk of her car with hamsters, and we both got detention for a month.

When we got in the class-room, we were two of the seven people that were there.

"Where is everybody?" I whispered to Fang, and he shrugged.

"I didn't think that many people could get sick at the same time." he said, and I nodded.

Then, I heard the principal start talking on the intercom.

"Good morning. We have a problem, and none of the teachers will be here today. If any students are in the building, you may go home until further notice. That is all." he said, and I grinned.

"Thank God! I never want to go to this class again." I said, and Fang nodded in agreement.

As we were walking down the front steps of the school, Lissa and some other chick came over to us.

"Hey Fang!" Lissa said after she had finished glaring at me. He nodded, and started walking in the other direction. Lissa held him back.

"What?" he said, sounding more than slightly annoyed. She gestured to the other girl.

"This is Brigid Dwyer. She just moved here. I wanted to introduce you to her." Lissa said, and the other girl smiled at him.

"Yeah, hi. Can you let go of my arm now?" he said, and I could tell he was getting mad.

"You know you like it when I hold you." said Lissa, and I couldn't suppress my laughter, and neither could Fang. We both dropped to the ground laughing.

"You-have-no-clue-do you?" Fang finally choked out around laughs. We both stood up, and got serious quickly.

"Besides, I've got a girlfriend, and I love her waaaay more than I'll ever like you. " he said, and he gestured to me. I tensed up. That was the first time he had ever said he loves me. EVER.

She sneered at me.

"I bet she doesn't love you like you love her." she said. That tore it.

"I LOVE HIM WITH ALL MY HEART BITCH! NOW LET HIM GO AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!!" I screamed at her, and she quickly did what she was told. Fang looked at me with one eyebrow raised, and I grinned sheepishly.

"Is that true?" he asked, and I nodded. He grinned and I blushed furiously. We started walking again, and he put his arm around me. I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back.

Right then, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I looked at the caller I.D. It was unknown. I flipped my phone open.

"Hello?" I said, and I heard heavy breathing on the other line.

"Max! You need to get to the lodge NOW! Nudge hurt herself. BAD! HURRY!" Iggy said, and then I heard the dial tone. I looked over at Fang, who had heard it all, and we hurried over to the lodge.

When we got there, Iggy escorted us to the room Nudge was being kept in. When we opened the door, I gasped.


	11. Chapter 11: Irrational Hatred

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating, my computer was getting repaired, then I had the BIGGEST case of writer's block in history!! Sorry it's so short too. I'm saving all the good stuff for the next chapter!!! **

"SURPRISE!!" yelled all my family and friends as we walked in. I looked over at Fang and Iggy, who were grinning, and saw Nudge and Kent standing by a table with the cake. I had gotten so caught up in all the excitement of the past few weeks, I had forgotten my own birthday!

"Thanks guys!!!" I said, and I rushed over to Nudge and Kent, and frowned slightly.

"Where's Mark?" I asked, and Kent got a solemn look, while Nudge hurried over to talk to Fang and Iggy.

"He moved to Virginia." Kent said, and I looked at him in disbelief. I knew there would always be a logical reason as to my irrational hate for the state of Virginia.

"When? Why didn't he tell me?" I said angrily. He shrugged.

"He said he was trying to, but you were with that Fang guy too much for him to tell you that..." he started, but he stopped quickly.

"Tell me what?" I said menacingly and curiously at the same time.

"That...he was in love with you." Kent said, and my heart dropped like a bomb.

"He was?" I managed to get out, and he nodded. I covered my face with my hands.

"I'm such an idiot." I said, and Kent rubbed my back.

"No you're not. You had no way of knowing. It's not your fault." he said, and he went to talk to some freckled kid. I couldn't believe it. I should've got a clue sooner. I just didn't know whether to be mad at Fang or myself.

'No don't be mad at Fang. He was just being nice.' I told myself, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't the only one at fault here. I went over to Fang, and asked if we could meet at the top of the mountain after the party. He agreed, and continued partying.

After the party, I got on the ski-lift and headed to where I told Fang to meet me. He was already sitting there, and for some reason he had a sad look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I didn't want to be insensitive and say it was his fault Mark moved and never told me he loved me.

"I know what you're going to say, and you're right. Mark had told me he was moving to Virginia, and that he wanted to talk to you. That's why I tried not to walk home with you that day we played dodgeball." he finished, and I almost gasped. That was the longest sentence I had ever heard him utter.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. He sighed and looked at the ground, then back at me.

"He told me not to under any circumstances. I'm sorry." he said, and with that, he strapped on his snowboard and hopped over to me.

"If you're mad, I understand. I don't blame you. But, I promised him, and I don't break promises." he said, and he started down the hill. As I watched him ride slowly down the hill, a single tear rolled down my cheek.

**Like it? Hate it? Can't live without it? However you fell about it, please R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	12. Chapter 12: Pitch Black

**Sorry for not updating in a long time guys!! I had MAJOR writers block, and my band had their first concert and it was a hit!!!! But enough about me, hope you like the chapter!**

I zipped up my pack and slung it over my shoulder. I did a quick check that I had everything that I needed. Wallet, check. Clothes, check. Shoes, check. Form of defense, check. I sighed and crept down the stairs, careful not to wake my mom.

It was around 2 in the morning, and I was going to go to Fang's house, and get him to come to Virginia and help me find Mark. I opened the door, and locked it back after shutting it as quietly as possible.

I jogged to Fang's house, where I threw pebbles at what I knew was his window until he opened it. He made a gesture with his hands that meant 'What are you doing?'.

I flew him a paper airplane with an explanation on it, and I waited in his backyard. Sure enough, about five minutes later, he walked out his back door, a black backpack slung over his shoulders.

I smiled and hopped his fence, as did he.

"Now, why are we going to Virginia again?" he asked.

"To get Mark to move back here." I said, and I practically heard him roll his eyes. Of course I didn't, because that would be weird.

"Yeah. How do you suppose we do that? It's two in the morning, we're teenagers, my cars out of gas, you don't own a car, I only have $537, even if we _do _make it to Virginia alive, do you think we can just magically make his parents move back?!" he said, and I nearly gasped. That was a really long sentence for Fang.

"Well, we'll figure something out. Did you leave a note for your parents?" I asked, and Fang snapped.

"Yeah. But Ig-" he started, but before he could finish we turned a corner, and a deep voice rang out in the almost pitch-black darkness.

"Going somewhere?"

**R&R PEOPLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	13. Chapter 13: Double Crap

**HEY GUYS!!!!!!!! Hope you enjoy this chapter. This is what the summary was talking about!!!!!! **

"Crap." Fang said. I guess our natural instincts kicked in and we got into what I guessed was a fighting stance.

"Who is that?" I whispered to Fang.

"Ari. He's a huge ass, and he's been known to hit girls so be ready to hit back." he said, and I nodded.

"Who's your "lady friend" _Nick_?" he said. I knew why he emphasized Nick. Fang hated being called by his real name, and I could practically _feel_ the steam coming off him.

"I'm Max. And to whom do I have the _dis_pleasure?" I said, and he snarled.

"Ari. And you know it's no displeasure in your mind. Now come here and give Ari some sugar." he said and I stepped toward him menacingly, but Fang held me back.

"If this guy keeps talking there _will _be blood. You can count on it." I whispered to Fang. He shook his head.

"I sent a text while he was talking to you. He should be here right...about..." he said, and when he started to say now, Iggy jumped down from the tree behind Ari onto his back. I saw my opportunity then.

I ran over and made sure Iggy was out of the way, and I swung my leg up as hard as I could. It hit Ari where it really counts, and he doubled over.

"You'll regret this." he said in a falsetto voice. But by that time I was doubled over in laughter and Iggy and Fang were high-fiving me.

"That was _perfect_!!" said Iggy, and I gave him one final high-five.

"What is Iggy doing here?" I asked Fang and he smiled.

"He wanted to come with us. Is that okay?" he asked, and I smiled at them and nodded.

"Good. Because Nudge is meeting us on the outskirts of town." he said, and I nodded.

"Then we better get going." I said and started walking towards the city limits. While we were walking, Fang and Iggy were talking quietly. I saw Nudge standing on the side of the road, looking at her watch. When she saw us she grinned and waved.

"Hey guys! Are we ready?" she asked, and we all more or less nodded.

"Great!" she said and when we were about to leave the city, I realized something bad.

"Guys. The Winter X Games are in 3 days." I said, and they all looked at me.

"Double crap." Fang said.

**R&R!!!!!**


	14. Chapter 14: Regret

**Short chappie, and the story's coming to a close. AWWWWW!! But don't worry. If I can think of an idea for the sequel I'll make one, I PROMISE! Give me some ideas for summer-time activities in your reviews for this chapter!!! Thanks!**

"What are we gonna do?" I asked, and they shrugged. I guess it was my choice then. I had two options.

We could go to Virginia to get my friend back and miss the Winter X Games. Or

We could go to Winter X and say good-bye to Mark forever.

"Um..." I said, and I knew I was going to regret my decision forever, but I had to do what I had to do. If Mark was me, he would do the same.

"We're going to Winter X." I said, and I saw Fang's mouth drop.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and I nodded.

"I don't like it, but I have to do it." I said, and Fang nodded. Iggy, however, was skeptical.

"Are you sure you're sure? I mean, he was _in love _with _you_. That's hard to do." he said, and Fang spoke up.

"It's not hard to do! She's beautiful, funny, smart, not afraid to take charge, beautiful-" he said, but Nudge cut in.

"You said 'beautiful' twice." she said, and Fang nodded.

"I wanted to emphasize that one." he said, and I chuckled.

"So...you're 100% sure you want to let Mark go?" Fang asked, and I nodded without hesitation.

"Ok. Your decision!" Iggy said, and I nodded.

"Let's go back home and get packed up, guys." I said, and I started walking slowly back towards the town.

**Whoop there it is!! R&R!!!!!!!!!!!**


	15. Chapter 15: Waving as They Went

**Hey! Glad you've been reading my story this far! Thanks to all my reviewers and I hope you enjoy this chappie!**

Nobody said anything on the entire way home, except for Nudge, who would start a rant now and again, but when none of us responded she stopped on her own.

"Iggy." said Fang, and Iggy looked up.

"Come here." he said, and Iggy walked over to him. He whispered something in his ear, and Iggy nodded silently. I was going to ask what he told Iggy, but I thought better of it.

When we came to our street, Iggy and Nudge broke off in different directions, waving as they went.

"Max." Fang said, and I looked over into his dark, beautiful eyes.

"Mark really was in love with you. He had been since I met him. He was always talking about you, and we were always encouraging him to ask you out. He was going to, but Iggy made us go to the movies together." he said.

"I feel bad and good at the same time." he continued.

"How?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"I'm happy that we're dating, but I feel that I stole you from him, you know? I just...wonder if it was supposed to be this way." he said, and I looked at him in half disbelief/ half understanding.

"I get what you're saying, but...are you saying we should...break up?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. I just think you should stay in contact with Mark, and if you and I don't work out, you have someone that will love you forever." he said, and he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Get some sleep." he said, and he departed and went into his house. I saw the light flick on through the window before I turned and started walking towards my house.

"Max!" Fang called, and I turned around to see him on his porch.

"I love you." he said, and I smiled.

"I love you too." I said, and I turned and started walking up the stairs towards my door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, I texted Mark, praying he still had the same number. **(A/N. Max is just **_italics _**and Mark is _bold italics!_)**

_Hey!_

_**Yo.**_

_How's VA?_

_**Pretty good. Anything change since I've been gone?**_

_Not really. I've got a question._

_**K. What?**_

_Fang...told me something._

_**Well, what's 'something'?**_

_He said you loved me...._

_**I did.**_

_Do you still?_

_**I like you, but I love my girlfriend.**_

_Oh. Who's your girl-friend?_

_**This red-head named Lissa.**_

_Oh. Well, I'm glad you found someone. I feel really bad about not knowing. :(_

_**Don't worry about it, k? :)**_

_Thanks. :)_

_**Welcome. Hey I gotta go. I'll text you later! PEACE!**_

_K. PEACE!!! :)_

I set my phone down, glad that I eased the tension between Mark and I.

I dozed off in a matter of seconds.

Mark's POV

I set my phone down and sighed. I had lied. I really still love her, but I won't see her again. This sucks.

**R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	16. Chapter 16: Not Much of A Chance

I woke up that morning to the sound of sirens and people yelling outside. I glanced at my clock before jumping out of bed and throwing on some sweats.

_What are these people doing up at 2 O'clock in the freakin' morning?_ I thought to myself.

I burst out my door and started running in the direction of the sirens. My heart sank and I grew more frantic when I saw the firetrucks and ambulances.

They were in front of Fang's house.

"What happened here?" I asked breathlessly. An EMS guy turned to me, looking sad.

"Fire. Spark jumped out from the fire place. Killed everyone but the kid, but he doesn't have much of a chance." he said solemnly.

_Oh no._

"Fang? Fang?" I said, making my way through the crowd of people to see him.

Fang wasn't gonna die. Not while I'm around.

Fang's POV

I could see people gathered around me, but their voices seemed far away.

I could faintly hear Max calling my name over and over. I saw her push her way beside the gurney and explain to the medic that she wanted to come to the hospital.

But...I didn't see this from...me. I saw all this from above.

**R&R**


	17. Chapter 17: ThirdDegree

**:O**

"Oh, man. This isn't good." I said as I paced the hospital lobby.

It was now 1:00 in the morning, and the doctors had been kind enough to let Iggy, Nudge, and I stay until Fang gets out of treatment. The doctors had said that about 80% if his body was covered in third-degree burns, the other 20% with second-degree. They also said most people that have third-degree covering more than 60% don't survive.

"Calm down, Max. Fang's strong." Iggy said.

"Yeah, I know. But what if he's just not strong enough? What are we gonna do? I can't go through with Winter X without Fang, and I refuse to do so." I said. Iggy sighed and slumped down in his chair.

"This sucks." Nudge said, and I nodded.

"Max?" said a man in scrubs and wearing a surgical mask.

"Yeah." I said, standing and walking over to him.

"He's alive, but he's in very bad shape. Any physical activity at all won't be possible for several months." he said. My heart sank. He couldn't do Winter X.

"Okay. Thank you. Please take good care of him." I said, and I signaled for the others to follow me.

"How is he?" Nudge asked as we left the hospital and got into Iggy's car.

"He's alive, but he's not doing well. He can't do Winter X." I said.

"Oh, man." said Nudge, and Iggy hit the door with his fist, almost making a dent.

"Dammit." Iggy said quietly, rubbing his sore knuckle.

"Well, I guess we can't be judges then." Nudge said sadly.

"I guess not. But Fang and I probably wouldn't have won anyway." I said, trying to be an optimist, but failing miserably.

"Well, I'm just glad he's okay." said Iggy.

"Me too." I said. Nudge stopped in front of my house and let me out.

"Please consider doing Winter X without him." Nudge said.

"I can't. I would, but I don't have a partner." I said, and then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"I will." the person behind me said, and I spun around to face a smiling Mark.

**Again :O WHOA R&R!!!!!**


	18. Chapter 18: Roller Coasters Suck

**Hello! Hope you like it! Btw sorry for the wait! I have a BUNCH of stuff going on! **

"Oh...my....god." said Nudge as I gaped at him. Mark was back. The Mark that had loved me. He was back here.

"Is it really you?" I asked, my mouth still wide open.

"Close your mouth. You're attracting flies." he said with a smile, and I threw my arms around his neck.

"Why'd you come back?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"'Cause he told me to." he said, and he pointed behind me. I turned around to see Fang walking over to me on crutches, his trademark grin on his face.

Let's take a break and look back shall we? First, Fang moves here. Then, Mark moves away. Next, Fang and I date. And Lastly, Mark's back, Fang's out of the hospital, and I've got everyone that I love here with me. This has been a roller coaster of a year.

"Fang, did you get Mark to come back?" I asked, surprised at him for doing this.

"Well...yeah." he said with a sheepish smile.

"Why?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"'Cause he loves you, and I think he should be with you." he said, and he smiled. But I didn't. Fang brought Mark back because he thought...he wasn't good enough?

"Wait, Fang." I said, but he had already turned and was heading home. I sighed. And the roller coaster goes back down.

**R&R!!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Present as they know it

**Hey guys! So sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. ButI hope you like this chapter! My first and best (in my opinion) story is coming to an end :'(**

That night, I sat on my bed, pondering life. If you only have one life, why isn't every moment a really great one? Because as of lately, my life sucks. And now that Mark is back, I have the biggest decision. Fang or Mark?

**Fang POV**

I sat my crutches beside my bedroom door as I hobbled in, grabbing a soda from my mini-fridge as I went. I had really thought Max would love having Mark back, but she hasn't thanked me for it yet. This leads me to believe that she didn't completely love it. But I think they would be better together. I didn't like feeling like I had stolen Max away from Mark, and I would much rather have Max and Mark together if it means everyone's happy.

What I didn't like, is how strong the feelings I had developed for her are. I love her, and I would love to be with her, but I guess to see everything clearly, you have to make sacrifices.

I stared at the ceiling, thinking about her. Right then I came to a realization.

This was a huge mistake.

**Iggy POV**

"Why do you think Fang asked Mark to come back?" Nudge asked as we sat on a prak bench in the cool night air. I shrugged.

"I don't think he thought about what _he _wanted. He just wanted what he thought Max would like the best." I said, squeezing Nudge's hand gently.

She squeezed it back and said, "I think he should've reconsidered it. Both of them know that they are meant to be together." I nodded. I looked over to her, and before I knew it we were kissing. Not making out, but just kissing. It was gentle, loving. I hadn't felt this good in a long time, but I knew Fang and Max didn't feel the same. And Mark probably didn't feel all that good either.


	20. Chapter 20: Countdown to Winter X

**Guess who's back? ;)**

Max POV

I awoke to see sunlight streaming through my light blue curtains, and I sat up, stretched, and trudged down the stairs. I searched for some cereal or breakfast items, but all that I produced was an empty box of cereal and some rotten bananas.

_Looks like I'm eating out this morning. _I thought, and I grabbed my jacket, not bothering to change out of my sweat pants and t-shirt. I put on my jacket as I walked out to my car, and when I unlocked the car, I saw Fangs ashen house that lay down the street, and Marks house that resided two houses down from it. Last night, my constant thoughts of Mark and Fang kept me awake until I could no longer hold my eyes open. And after all that, I still hadn't chosen a single one of them. I just can't win.

When I parked my car, I got out, locked the car, and started towards the door of the diner when I saw Mark and Fang talking at one of the booths. Oh no.

I entered the diner, and Fang looked up and waved me over. I tried to look surprised and happy to see them, and I suppose they bought it.

"Hey, Max!" they both said, and I waved and smiled. I sat down next to Mark, and I looked at both of them.

"Why are you guys here?" I asked, and Fang shrugged, but Mark couldn't act well enough.

"We have some pretty frickin' awesome news," said Mark, and I looked at him, puzzled. He then turned his attention to Fang. "Do you want me to tell her? Or do you want the honor?"

Fang smirked and locked eyes with me. "The bad news is, I can't do Winter X. But the good news is, the rule says that in the event of an injury that prohibits you from participating, someone can take your spot. That someone is Mark," he said, and I gaped.

"NO WAY!" I exclaimed, and they both nodded.

"Nudge, Iggy, and Kent still get to be guest judges, and we'll be watching from the front row," said Mark, and they both smiled at me.

"This couldn't get better!" I said, and Nudge and Iggy walked in, both grinning. Apparently they knew about this as well.

"I'm so happy right now," Iggy said, giving us all his trademark genuine grin.

"We leave for Winter X tomorrow," I said, "so let's go get our stuff packed and go bring home a medal. This one's for you guys!" I pointed to all of them, and I got grins and laughs in return. And this one really will be for them.


End file.
